Human Rights and Advocacy Programme Officer

August 21, 2015 /
Pahichan Reporter

Kathmandu/Pahichan – The Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN) advocates for the protection of the legal, social and human rights of transgender people as well as the enhancement of their social wellbeing and quality of life in theAsia-Pacificregion.

Transgender people in theAsia-Pacificregion experience large scale violations of their human rights and are subject to stigmatization and discrimination. Many Asia- Pacific countries continue to discriminate against Transgender people in laws and policies. Transgender people commonly experience barriers including prejudicial treatment, abuse and lack of respect for their identities in accessing healthcare, education, employment and justice in family and social contexts.

Transgender people continue to be pathologized as mentally ill and are widely denied recognition of their gender and protection under governmental laws and policies. During the recentHigh-LevelRoundtable on Gender Identity, Human Rights and the Lawin Hong Kong participants highlighted legal gender recognition as a key issue for transgender populations in theAsia-Pacific.It was noted transgender populations are widely denied legal gender recognition and when it is available it is often made subject to a range of preconditions such as marital status, lived experience, surgical interventions and sterilization.

Access to education for transgender persons is undermined by a failure to respect gender diversity and strict stereotyping as well as the prevalence of transphobic bullying and attitudes. Many transgender children and youth do not complete their studies, suffer negative psychological effects from bullying or fail to reach their full potential. Access to employment is also hindered by inadequate gender recognition that leads to mismatched identity documents as well as employer transphobia.

The APTN is seeking a Programme Officer to aid in addressing some of the complex human rights and gender recognition issues faced by transgender people in the Asia- Pacific region. The Programme Officer will report to and work closely with the APTN Programme Manager.